Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to treatment/prevention of chlamydial infection and diseases and disorders associated with Chlamydia infection.
Background Art
Chlamydia is one of the most common sexually transmitted pathogens in the world, causing an estimated 92 million infections per year, with over 2.8 million infections in the US alone. The rate for chlamydial infection is 3.3 times higher in women than it is in men. It is estimated that nearly 3 million Americans are infected annually costing >$4 billion in healthcare. Most infected people have no symptoms. However, untreated infections can cause numerous diseases such as infertility, osteoporosis, reactive arthritis, Alzheimer's disease, pelvic inflammatory disease and others. In addition, numerous epidemiological studies have shown a positive association between Chlamydia infections and the presence of premalignant or invasive cancers.
Currently there is no mechanism-based treatment of Chlamydia infections and Chlamydia-related diseases. Commonly used antibiotics can stop acute infections with Chlamydia; however, this treatment can also cause Chlamydia to change into a persistent state, a stealth mode underlying a chronic infection that can lead to Chlamydia associated diseases. In addition, during the last 30 years, attempts to create an effective Chlamydia vaccine have proven unsuccessful. Thus, the identification of chlamydial or host cell proteins that Chlamydia rely on for development in infected tissue is useful for development of effective therapeutics against this pathogen.
The present invention overcomes previous shortcomings in the art by providing methods and compositions employing inhibitors of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) for the treatment and/or prevention of chlamydial infection and Chlamydia-associated diseases and disorders.